by Olivia Harp
“The brothers are here!” she yelled, opening her arms to hug him.
Brothers? Lexie’s heart began to race, what did she mean by that? Like, real brothers?
She was unbelievably beautiful, greeted Crow with a kiss that left a smear on his cheek before she went over to hug Lucian.
She’s a bit too friendly with them, Lexie thought, making an effort to look away and breath normally.
You’re not jealous, are you? Of course she wasn’t jealous. That’d be stupid. But who is this woman?
“Lexie, this is Vanessa, our house manager,” said Lucian.
“Hi, Vanessa.”
“Hi, dear,” she said, shaking Lexie’s hand, her smile seemed genuine, if a bit curious.
“How’s business?” Crow asked.
“Thriving.”
Crow nodded, “good.”
Lucian took Lexie’s hand, “follow me.”
***
They rode the elevator in silence. Lucian pressed number three on the panel. She was nervous, and her concentration began to dwindle.
Stop thinking about it. You’ll ask them later. Focus.
The door opened to a small hall with a closed glass door. Lucian took a thick plastic card from his pocket and hovered it over a small electronic ashtray-like thing on the wall.
The doors opened and they went through. This place was devoid of decor. Just black tile floor and gray walls, with cubicles filling the space.
On the edge of the room, an oak door stood closed. Lucian knocked three times.
“Who is it?” A shrill voice said on the inside.
“F.B.I. mother fucker, open up!” Lucian said, a bit playfully.
She heard movement, then the door opened, “Guys?” said a short man wearing clothes too big for him.
He was bald, but sported a terribly looking comb-over.
“Come in, come in, you came in early.”
They walked into his office. It was a mess. Dozens of books and papers littered his L-shaped desk, pictures of him with hunting trophies dominated the far wall. He apparently killed every kind of animal on the planet: from zebras, to mountain goats, to bears and tigers to freaking elephants.
Don’t pay attention to that. It’s none of your business. She was losing focus by the second. And this wasn’t helping at all.
“We want to show you something we found,” Lucian said, “well… something she found.”
“Really?” he said in his screechy voice, “and who is…?”
“Alex Young,” Crow said, “she’s a friend of ours. May I?”
Oscar stepped back and let Crow set the laptop bag on his desk.
Lucian connected Oscar’s monitor on the laptop, so she could explain everything more easily.
“So? What is it?” Oscar asked.
“Okay,” she said, but her voice broke. Her hands were sweating, she felt colder than ever.
“Just tell him what you told us,” Lucian said, his hand going over hers, calming her down. She looked at Crow and he smiled. She began to explain. Slowly at first, but after a few minutes, she was on a roll.
She’d done a good job before, and she would do it again. It was simple: the IRS owed them money from benefits and other expenses to the tune of one hundred and thirty seven thousand dollars.
Not counting the other hundred grand the IRS wanted them to pay.
“But dear,” Oscar said, his voice like nails scratching on a blackboard, “how do you know all this?”
She shrugged, “it was my major in college.”
He nodded.
“Your major. So, you have no real experience with this?”
She hesitated.
“I haven’t worked with a business this big before, no, but—”
“Then you admit you don’t know how it’s done.”
She stopped.
Crow and Lucian looked at her, inquisitively.
“Of course I know how it’s done. It’s done just like any other business, we’re just handling bigger numbers and a lot more entries, but it’s the same general principles.”
“Well, I’ve been doing this for decades.”
“What’s the problem?” Lucian asked, Crow looked at Oscar in silence.
“Listen, Lucian. Crow. I know you since you were kids, right?”
“Does that matter?” Lucian said. Crow remained silent.
“I know you suddenly see the books and think you can save the world, especially if this pretty lady makes such a good case, but come on.”
“Come on what?” Lucian asked.
“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
Lexie’s heart pounded hard inside her chest. She thought it was going to explode.
“Tell me,” said Lucian.
“I’ve been working on this very hard, even before Curtis’ mom passed away and your father adopted him. Do you trust me?”
The room was silent.
Lexie had to use all of her will power to remain still. If she didn’t, she’d start to shake.
So he’s adopted? They’re not really brothers?
“I’ve seen this and it looks right, but I don’t think it is.”
“But why?” Lexie asked, “it’s pretty simple, you saw it.”
“Yes—”
“I looked at the laws, the numbers, even online forums. It all works out to our benefit.”
“Ah,” Oscar said.
“What?” said Lucian.
“Our benefit,” Oscar repeated, “it seems a little, I don’t know… possessive.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Of course you didn’t. Where did you meet this girl?”
“That’s none of your business,” Crow said standing up, his voice hard as steel, his eyes full of fury.
“You’ve been a trusted member of the family for decades, that doesn’t mean you’re perfect.”
“I’ve been with this family before you were a part of it, boy.”
Crow clenched his fist. Suddenly the air felt like a ticking bomb.
“Hey,” Lucian said, “watch what you say, Oscar. I respect you. But you work for us. Me and Crow. He’s my brother. Remember that.”
“I just said—”
“Watch your words,” Lucian said, calm fury behind every word.
A pregnant silence filled the room, Oscar tried to outstare Lucian, but in the end looked away with a chuckle.
“All right, no problem.”
Okay, this was progress.
“I’ve been doing this for years, and I have a lot of units to manage, maybe I missed something.”
He looked at Lexie, his stare stung like a poisoned arrow.
She spoke now. “I can check the books for you, just send me—”
“No. It’s okay. I’ll take a look at the numbers myself, five years back until now, maybe you’re right.”
“Good,” Crow said.
Lexie did not allow herself a smile. She had to keep her cool.
“We’ll do our own research,” Crow continued, “to help you out.”
He said it calmly, but it sounded like a threat. Do it right, motherfucker, we’re not here to play. Is what he meant.
“All right, Curtis,” Oscar said, sinking in his chair, “I have a lot of work to do then.”
Crow closed the laptop and looked at Lucian and her. His eyes glinted with pride when he saw Lexie.
“Better start now,” Crow said, and that was their cue to leave.
***
“What is this place?” Lexie asked while they waited for the elevator to arrive.
The boys looked at each other and smiled.
“What do you think it is?” Lucian asked.
“Well…” She said looking around, trying to find a clue to what it was, “it looks like a hotel, but its—”
“That’s what it is. To anyone who asks.”
She stared at them, blinking.
“You seem to have a lot of these, but they look empty.”
“The
y’re not, usually. And people don’t sleep in here.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s a front,” Crow said.
“A—”
“This is a high class, underground sex club,” he continued, his voice completely normal, as if he’d just told her it was a burger joint.
Lucian laughed, “your mouth’s hanging open.”
She closed it, trying to save some dignity, still taking in what he just said.
Their accounting did not explicitly state the nature of the businesses. Looking at it, it seemed to be hotels, motels, rental properties for businesses, like offices and warehouses, stuff like that.
“People come here to do everything they can’t on the flashier, bigger casinos,” Lucian said, “they can gamble here, no problem. But they pay a high fee to fulfill their fantasies.”
“Want to see?” Crow asked.
She was going to say no, but this was sin city. She felt as if the city whispered on her shoulder, go on, just take a peek.
Or maybe it wasn’t the city. The curiosity of seeing what they really did for a living was just too much, it gnawed at her.
Maybe it wasn’t curiosity. Maybe she was sinking deeper into the Kovolski brothers world.
Gangsters. These people are gangsters. She knew in her heart that she should’ve been scared. She should’ve been completely terrified. She should’ve ran.
But it turned her on. Now more than ever, if that can be possible.
“Show me,” she said, knowing she’d gone past the point of no return.
CHAPTER 22
CROW
Crow entered the elevator after Lexie, took a special, thick, round key out of his pocket and placed it on a keyhole on the control panel right beneath the floor buttons, turned it clockwise, and pressed 1. The yellow light behind the button turned red.
“We’re going to the first floor?” Lexie asked.
“Authorities like the semblance of legality,” he said.
“What he means is that the real Tea House Club doesn’t have a button on the panel.”
“People walk down the stairs to it, actually.”
The doors opened to a long, dark hallway, oil lamps lit the way down the corridor, distanced just enough for darkness to almost engulf a guest for a second or two before the next one lit his way. Soft beats came through the walls.
They turned on a corner and opened a steel door to a small lounge, with about six low tables surrounded by Victorian chairs and sofas. Each stood on its own small space, separated from the rest by semi-transparent, purple drapes.
People nested in them, talking quietly, a drink in their hands. No one paid attention to them.
The men and women oozed class. If she didn’t know where she was, she would’ve thought of this place as one of the hippest bars she’d ever been in.
Lexie linked arms with Crow.
“This is it?” she asked, sounding almost disappointed.
Lucian turned to her, “this is an anteroom. People can chill out here before going in. Besides, our cocktails are the best.”
She took a deep breath, but said nothing, looking at the people already there. No one seemed to notice them.
“Do you want anything?” Crow asked.
“It’s too early for a drink.”
“I agree,” Lucian followed.
“How do people find this place?”
Crow lead her to a dark wood door, across the room.
“They ask.”
“Just like that?”
They crossed the room and reached another door, Lucian was already opening it, the dark corridor outside similar to the one they came from, but the floor was made of marble. This area looked like an old mansion.
“Anyone can come in, as long as they follow the rules and can afford the fee.”
They walked around the circular corridor, no corners anywhere, red wood doors to their right, the low beat still thudded through the building walls, a rhythmical background that helped people know they weren’t alone.
“How much is it?”
“Fifteen-hundred to watch. Our least expensive spaces start at two thousand, but that’s only if you don’t want to engage.”
“Engage?”
“Fuck,” Lucian said, “this is the city of sin, after all.”
Lucian opened a dark purple door. The VIP room. Muffled moans filtered through the walls, low and distant, but impossible to miss.
Lucian gave his hand to her and she took it.
“We’ve never personally used the facilities.”
But this was a special occasion, and the bulge in his pants already hurt with how much he wanted Lexie.
It’d been like this since this morning, but now, after she stood her ground back on the meeting, he wanted nothing but to come inside of her.
To make her his.
CHAPTER 23
LEXIE
She was nervous. This was all completely new. The moaning and yelling sounds permeated the room. She was equal parts curious and afraid.
Don’t lie. You’re turned on.
She’d never even heard of places like this. She thought it was like a Men’s Club, but the women back at the lounge room looked completely normal.
They were dressed up nicely, yes. But they looked like her, or any of her friends, not like strippers or prostitutes.
The hair on the back of her neck bristled.
This room was much classier than any other she’d seen inside the building. It wasn’t just the decor, accented with gold and bronze, or the incredibly comfortable sofa, or the panel filled with buttons right next to it.
She bit her lips. Not knowing what to expect.
The small bar on the corner was filled with all kinds of alcoholic drinks. A delicious, quiet vanilla smell permeated the room.
She was scared of the way she automatically sat on the sofa right between the boys.
Why?
She tried to play it cool, not asking about the big floor to ceiling window ten feet away from them, right across the sofa. Outside lay a big, circular chamber, with four or five steps that led to what seemed like a narrow leather bed, no sheets or pillows or anything on it.
A few feet above it, long, multicolored pieces of fabric dangled from the ceiling, a nice touch, contrasting heavily with the more sexual, erotic vibe of the room.
“What’s this?”
“This is what people pay for,” Lucian said, “a nice time with their lover—”
“Fuck me,” someone was moaning, louder and louder.
On the far wall, glinting softly in the dark, she saw another room, just like theirs. She couldn’t see inside, the glass protected their privacy, but she could see a light and two people in there, their outlines just barely noticeable. Then to the right, another room, then another one.
“Welcome to the vault.”
“People can’t see us, well… more or less.”
Her heart thumped in her chest. It was… kinky. Almost perverted.
“You don’t like it?”
“I never thought—”
“Some people like to watch, some like to be watched… others just like to feel a bit dirty.”
Her legs were crossed. She tightened her thighs. The sound of a man having an orgasm on a room close to theirs reached her and she couldn’t deny it any more.
She liked this place.
She held their hands, “they can see people doing it up there?”
“Yes,” Crow said, “if they really wanted to.”
“But always from afar. Unless they want security to get involved.”
“You got cameras—”
“No cameras,” Crow said, leaning from her right, almost whispering in her ear, sending shivers down her body.
“We make sure everyone is safe.”
Her other hand went to Lucian’s thigh, she had to feel him.
She closed her eyes, leaning forward to kiss Crow. His warm lips were filled with passion. People might look in and see h
er doing this. Being taken by two men.
It wasn’t right to be turned on by that, but it was too late, she was far too deep into the rabbit hole.
She got lost in his lips, softer and warm and full of passion, his tongue wrestled with hers, her hand already doing jerking motions over Lucian’s pants.
I’m losing myself.
She tried to take control but being with the boys made her feel powerful, made her feel like she was the luckiest woman in the world.
She was intensely desired.
She never thought men like them would even look in her direction.
Now two hot mafia lords owned her.
She shivered at the thought. That wasn’t right, why did she think something like that?
But her crease began to get wet. They owned her. They could do anything they wanted, show her their world.
Lucian took her hand and began kissing it, going up to her shoulder and to her back, his tongue raising goose bumps all over her body.
The quiet beat kept on going in the background, the sounds of sex still strong on another room, then she heard others join them, everywhere around, quietly filtering through the thick walls.
She’d gone too far, she’d be doing the same if she didn’t stop now.
Lucian kissed one side of her neck, from behind; Crow the other. Four hands touching her body, caressing her, fondling her, she didn’t know which belonged to whom, it didn’t matter.
Their kisses turned into biting and sucking, rolling down her neck to her shoulders and back up.
She was shivering, moaning as quietly as she could, fearing someone else might hear her.
It’s insane, she thought, drunk with lust, her panties wet. She wanted this. She didn’t care about right and wrong, only the present moment. She was in control of her life, she chose this. She was choosing it right now.
She kissed Lucian, his lips softer and so different than Crow’s. They were both perfect. Crow kissed her chest and kept going down her breasts, licking and biting and sucking until he got to the top of her blouse, exploring her cleavage. Her blouse pressed her boobs tightly. He buried his face between them, moving his head on her chest, as if she was a goddess.
Waves of hot desire rippled through her body. Their hands explored her back, her arms, her legs, her chest.
The heat of their skin was too much to bear. She opened her mouth and couldn’t hold back a moan.
